Heavy duty battery electric vehicles can require relatively frequent charging to operate in normal service. Frequent charging at predetermined charging station locations enables energy storage systems to be sized with more certainty leading to reduce size, mass, and cost of systems. That required frequency of charging means that manual connection, such as physically plugging the vehicle in, to a charger is not acceptable. Traditionally, manually connecting the vehicle requires the driver to park and then carry high voltage cables to plug in the vehicle. In a transit center distances to charging station equipment could be quite far from the bus leading to long lengths of heavy gauge high voltage cable to reach the vehicle. Not only is this a distraction, it is not typical job task for drivers.
In addition, the speed of charging at the charging station can be very pertinent for a heavy-duty vehicle, such as a bus, that may need to be regularly recharged within small time frames to complete its suggested route. In one example, an electric vehicle may need to complete a charge in less than ten minutes that is sufficient to enable it to complete its normal route of nine to twelve miles in an hour before having to recharge.
Therefore, a need exists for improved systems and methods for connecting an electric vehicle to a charging station. A further need exists for systems and methods that enable fast charging of electric vehicles at a charging station to enable the electric vehicle to be charged in a minimal amount of time, while charging the electric vehicle to a sufficient level to enable it to complete its suggested route.